CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – When a team gets hot from long range, they usually have a chance no matter who they are up against. That was the case for Boston College on Wednesday night, and the Eagles rode that and some confidence to a victory over Florida State.
One thing that was clear on this night is that the Eagles are a confident team. That’s not a minor point given what this team has been through on the season, including of late as they came into the game having lost six in a row. It would be easy for this team’s confidence to be lacking at this point, but the Eagles looked about as confident as they have all season on Wednesday night. That might also come from something head coach Steve Donahue observed about their recent play.
“I thought we played very well the last four games,” said the Eagle mentor.
Indeed, the Eagles have certainly been competitive since sleepwalking in a loss to Wake Forest a couple of weeks ago. They were very competitive at Virginia before a late run made the final score a little deceptive (the Cavaliers won by 17). They were tied with eight minutes to go against Miami before going into an offensive funk the rest of the game. They gave NC State all they could handle, and had a chance on the road at Georgia Tech, a team they could certainly beat in Chestnut Hill at the end of the month.
While there are no moral victories, this team was clearly getting closer to breaking through. They were not out-classed even against a couple of very good teams they played in that stretch. They then broke through on Wednesday night, and now there’s something to show for the team’s development.
“Being able to pull it out like in the end like that really measures our growth,” said point guard Jordan Daniels. “We’ve come a long way throughout this whole season.”
Daniels in particular has come a long way. He’s been thrust into the starting point guard role with the early departure of Reggie Jackson to the NBA, and he had some struggles early. But his growth has coincided with the team’s, which tends to happen with a point guard. On Wednesday night, he led the way for the Eagles with a career-high 21 points and five assists, and looked very much like someone who can run this team the next 3 years after this. He had good help, but he got this team going with several key baskets during the run in the first half.
All of the Eagles looked like a more confident group. Matt Humphrey seemed to play more freely, and he scored 15 points while looking more confident in his jumper and aggressively driving when he didn’t shoot. Lonnie Jackson continues to develop, and Ryan Anderson kept competing despite a slow shooting day (4-12 from the field). The Eagles also kept their turnovers down, giving it away just ten times on the night.
Any wins will certainly help this team, but it’s clear their confidence was still in a good place before the win on Wednesday. A win over a team like Florida State will only have a bigger effect.
“I want those guys to get rewarded for their hard work,” said Donahue, who has consistently said he likes the team’s work ethic. “With all the stuff we’ve been through, it just makes it all the more worthwhile.”
Boston College continues to plug away, defending better and buying into the offensive game plan. When they take care of the ball and make shots from long range, as they did on Wednesday night, they have a chance to win games much like any other team would in that scenario. They gained confidence from that and rode it to a big win, which will only help them more.
